4 Essential Wedding Planning Budget Considerations You Should Know About
As things start to open up, the “Covid wedding” has a brighter outlook for the future. With a clearer picture, I wanted to share an update on budget considerations I think you should take while planning your wedding.
Make A Budget Early
Photo by: Justin Jay
One of the first steps I encourage newly engaged couples take, is to start your wedding planning budget early on. Money can be an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but it’s beyond necessary. A budget helps drive so many other planning decisions. Guest count, venue, decor, attire, etc. If you’re unsure of where to start, contact your wedding planner who can give you realistic numbers to work with.
Be Prepared For Additional Fees
Photo by: Alissa Noelle
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but if you’ve previously reached out to vendors, prepare for an adjusted quote. Especially now that vendors are recovering from the shock, everyone will have extra protocols in place to protect them. This can look like extra clauses in your contracts, to extra fees for postponing, cancellations or even holding a date. Go over all of these thoroughly with your wedding planner to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Additionally, check out my blog post on managing your budget including how to handle hidden fees. Another hidden fee people don’t often think about is tipping their vendors and wait staff. Factor that into the budget early on and ask your planner for advice on how to go about it. We offer our clients a tipping guide to help direct them in this process.
Same Budget, Smaller Guest List
Photo by: Lauren and Jared Bowser
The small wedding trend is here to stay! If you’re considering chopping your guest list and moving forward with a more intimate wedding, you are not alone. The great thing with a smaller wedding is your budget can stretch so much further. The guest experience can be wildly expanded with personalized favors and welcome baskets. Or you can put more budget towards your dream floral arrangements. (For potentially even more savings, consider a weekday wedding).
Grab Wedding Insurance
Photo by: Rebecca Teresa Photography
Some venues may already require wedding insurance but even if they don’t, please consider getting coverage for your big day. Add padding to your wedding budget to cover this. Wedding Insurance is a great way to protect you and your wedding investments, just in case something happens.
While weddings + events take on a new shape, the thing that will always remain is how wonderful it is gathering with those you love. So let’s take the stress out of it together. If you’re in the midst of planning your wedding and need some budgeting help, I created a FREE downloadable budget spreadsheet for you! Contact me on my homepage here, and let’s go through it line by line to plan you the greatest wedding of all time!
